Age-related effects on motor nerve conduction velocity in chickens

Compound motor-nerve action potentials evoked by supramaximal stimulation of the proximal and distal aspects of the tibial nerve were evaluated in chickens 1 to 15 weeks old. Motor-nerve conduction velocity increased from a mean of 22.6 m/s at week 1 to a mean of 52.7 m/s at week 15. The increase in conduction velocity was greatest for the first few weeks, and reached a plateau at 10 weeks. Subcutaneous limb temperature, limb length, and proximal latency measurements also increased with age; however, distal latency measurements were not significantly influenced by age. A quadratic equation was calculated to predict mean motor-nerve conduction velocity for maturing chickens.